Understanding Spiritual Authority

Leadership Development Series

Lesson 4: Understanding Spiritual Authority

Understanding Spiritual Authority

Before we talk about moving into ministry, lets recap some basic principles that we have learned in these studies.

Lawlessness is the spirit of doing our own thing.

Rebellion is an attitude.

Commandments are specific instructions given by someone in authority.

Obedience to commandments is expected.

Obedience is not automatic; it is learned behavior.

It is an individual choice to resist or submit.

Resist means to "stand against" and submit means to "stand under".

We should keep all of these principles is mind as we move into our study of spiritual authority. Our effectiveness in ministry is dependent on understanding spiritual authority. Ministry makes us a target for the enemy and also opens us to the more severe dealings of God. Misuse of authority will bring judgment, surely and swiftly.

WHAT IS SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY?

We have added the word spiritual as a distinction from secular or natural authority. However, Romans 13:1-5 tells us that all authority is from God. Any real authority has its origin in God. That means that God also gives and removes authority to and from people both in the secular environment and in the spiritual. We always get the authority that we deserve.

When the children of Israel told Samuel that they wanted a King like the other nations, Samuel thought that they were rejecting him. However, God said no, that they were not rejecting Samuel but were rejecting Him. Samuel told them what a king would do to them. They still wanted one, anyway. This is a classic picture of Israel as a hypocrite. They wanted to look like the other nations but still call themselves the people of God. We can't act and look like the world and still walk under God's authority.

God's authority can't be separated from His rulership. Jesus said that all authority in Heaven and earth had been given to Him. He is the King of the Kingdom of God. He delegates that authority to whom it pleases Him. As believers we all have a measure of authority because we are "in the Name of Jesus". We speak the command of the King to demons and they have to flee. We speak to diseases and they are healed. All done by the authority of the Name of Jesus.

As we continue with Jesus we come under authority--His delegated spiritual authority. The Kingdom of God is structured. The Church is structured. All things are ordered of God. We submit or resist.

? 1995--2005 Art Nelson

Lifestream Teaching Ministries

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Leadership Development Series

Lesson 4: Understanding Spiritual Authority

We have confused "direct authority" with "delegated authority". By direct authority, I mean our access to God as priests. We have direct access by the Blood of Jesus. We petition God and He answers. We have the right to use the Name of Jesus. We even receive revelation directly. However, this doesn't mean that as we mature, we have no need of anyone else. God doesn't intend that we always receive from Him directly; but teaches us our need of each other by bringing His word to us through some of His servants.

Matthew 10:40-42 NASB (40) "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.

(41) "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

(42) "And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."

Luke 10:16 NASB (16) "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me."

As we see from these scriptures, God places Himself one step behind His delegated authority. The attitude with which we receive God's representatives is also applied to the way we receive God. He says that the way we treat His delegated authority is the way we treat Him. We see this clearly with the Apostle Paul.

Acts 9:5-6 NASB (5) And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" And He said, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

(6) but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do."

During his encounter on the road to Damascus, it would have been easy for Jesus to tell him everything that was needed. Instead, Jesus tells him to go to the city and he would be told what to do. Paul does this and Ananias, a simple believer, comes and lays hands on Paul for him to receive his sight and the Holy Spirit. Why did Jesus do it this way? Why involve Ananias? Because, Paul encountered spiritual authority on the Damascus road, and his submission was tested by his receiving from Ananias.

The Lord has determined that there are some things that we will never receive from Him unless we can receive from His delegated authority. Thus, we stay dependent on each other in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 12:21-25 NASB (21) And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."

(22) On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;

(23) and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,

? 1995--2005 Art Nelson

Lifestream Teaching Ministries

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Lesson 4: Understanding Spiritual Authority

(24) whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,

(25) so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

THE PRINCIPLE OF AUTHORITY

God's authority represents God Himself; whereas, His power represents His acts. Many times we seek after the power of God so that mighty acts might be done, but forget about His authority. Usually this is done out of ignorance of God and His ways, however, sometimes it is done out of rebellion because a person is unwilling to come under authority. You can't have authority without being under authority. Authority flows from the Throne of God to His creation in an orderly manner.

Matthew 8:7-10 NASB (7) Jesus *said to him, "I will come and heal him."

(8) But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

(9) "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it."

(10) Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.

The centurion said that he was one under authority not one of authority. When one is under authority, one can recognize authority and knows the necessity of obedience to the word of authority or suffer the consequences. As seen here, recognition of authority provides faith.

The Centurion recognized that Jesus walked in spiritual authority. That was why Jesus had only to speak the word and He would be obeyed. The Centurion understood this because, he too, walked in governmental authority and could, by a word, direct those for whom he was responsible.

I have seen these scriptures twisted and used to justify a worldly authority of "lording it over" (which Jesus condemned). The "shepherding movement" used these verses to emphasize that the Centurion was "a man under authority" and used this to say that we all must be under authority to a "shepherd" and give obedience to him even if he was wrong (just as Sarah obeyed Abraham when he said she was his sister when they went to Egypt) trusting God to protect us from the shepherd's mistakes. They said that to "have authority" one must be "under authority", which, in the broadest sense is true; however, their application meant that one had to be "under" another person's (shepherd's) authority.

When the Centurion said that he was "a man under authority", he meant that he derived his authority from the government that he served. He didn't have authority because he was under an

? 1995--2005 Art Nelson

Lifestream Teaching Ministries

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Lesson 4: Understanding Spiritual Authority

army commander. He had authority because he was part of the government's army. Had he left the army, none of those of whom he spoke would obey him anymore because he no longer had any governmental authority.

It is the same in the Kingdom of God. We exercise governmental authority, which is "loaned" to us as long as we live and work under His government. To exercise authority one must have the right to do so. To attempt to exercise authority without having the right to do it makes it illegitimate authority and puts it in the category of the world and the principle of Satan.

Another example of having authority when under governmental authority is Adam. God placed Adam under His authority and gave him a commandment (law) that he might learn obedience: "Do not eat of the tree in the midst of the Garden." Then, God gave Adam dominion (authority) over all of the created things. As long as Adam remained obedient under authority, he had governmental authority over everything else. When he sinned (disobeyed), he came out from under God's authority and lost his governmental authority over the created things.

God built into Adam the desire and ability to rule. However, He didn't intend for Adam to rule without Him but would rule as His delegate in the earth. Adam's rule over the living things on the earth would flow from his fellowship with God and understanding of His purposes.

When Adam fell, the desire to rule was still inherent in him, however, he lost the ability to rule in a godly manner. This is what he passed to the generations that followed.

There was also another aspect of Adam's rulership. Because he ruled before the fall as a delegate of God, there is also inherent in Adam's descendants the need to be ruled as God ruled Adam.

The Principle of Satan

Because of the fall of Adam, natural authority is taken rather than given. Because it is exercised without the fellowship of God it is of the same nature as the authority exercised by Satan.

Before he became Satan, Lucifer, at some point, decided that he would take authority over all, even God.

Isaiah 14:12-14 NASB (12) "How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!

(13) "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.

(14) 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'

The taking of authority is a principle of Satan and is directly opposed to the principle of authority exemplified by the Lord Jesus. It is possible in our work to stand with Christ in terms of doctrine and, yet, stand with Satan in terms of authority.

Pride caused Lucifer to desire to usurp God's authority--to ascend to His Throne. The result was that Lucifer became Satan and now desires to overthrow all submission to God's authority. This

? 1995--2005 Art Nelson

Lifestream Teaching Ministries

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Lesson 4: Understanding Spiritual Authority

is Satan's Primary Principle--stand against God's authority (resist).

It is pride within us that causes us to harbor within our hearts this same principle of Satan. Yet, the scriptures say that "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5). You see, if we "stand against God's authority", God "stands against us". However, Jesus showed us how to "stand under God's authority" (submit).

Philippians 2:5-8 NASB (5) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

(6) who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

(7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

(8) Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

To serve without orders in disobedience to authority will result in God's judgment. Nadab and Abihu offered "strange fire" (unauthorized fire) to the Lord. They were the sons of Aaron which meant that they had helped with the offerings many times. They had seen Aaron perform the offering rituals and probably didn't see anything too difficult in them. As a consequence, since they felt like they were perfectly capable to doing the offering, they did one without realizing that only Aaron had to authority (the right and the responsibility) for offerings. God had delegated this to him. Because they lacked understanding about God's delegated authority, they suffered the consequences.

Leviticus 10:1-2 NASB (1) Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them.

(2) And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

Another way that the principle of Satan is manifested in us is in our desire to find fault. We try to find fault with the authority over us so that we won't have to submit. This fault-finding attitude is revealed by our mouths. The scripture says that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh". When this touches God's authority (delegated or otherwise), it produces trouble for us.

Numbers 12:1-2 NASB (1) Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married (for he had married a Cushite woman);

(2) and they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?" And the LORD heard it.

God heard the grumbling and brought judgment immediately. His presence left the tent of meeting and Miriam's leprosy caused her to be cut off from the congregation for 7 days and the

? 1995--2005 Art Nelson

Lifestream Teaching Ministries

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